Moral Passion and Christian Ethics

244 Pages·2017·13.647 MB·English

by  Robin Gill

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MORAL PASSION AND CHRISTIAN ETHICS
In this book, Robin Gill argues that moral passion and rational
ethical deliberation are not enemies; moral passion often lurks
behind many apparently rational ethical commitments; and though
it is a key component of truly selfless moral action, without rational
ethical deliberation it can also be extremely dangerous. Gill main-
tains that a reanalysis of moral passion is overdue. He inspects the
gap between the ‘purely rational’ accounts of ethics provided by
some moral philosophers and the normative positions that they
espouse and/ or the moral actions that they pursue. He also contends
that Christian ethicists have not been adept at identifying their own
implicit moral passion or at explaining why it is that doctrinal posi-
tions generate passionately held moral conclusions. Using a range of
disciplines, including cognitive science and moral psychology, along-
side the more usual disciplines of moral philosophy and religious
ethics, Gill also makes links with moral passion in other world faith
traditions.
Robin Gill is Emeritus Professor of Applied Theology at the
Univer sity of Kent. He is the editor of the journal Theology and
of the New Studies in Christian Ethics monograph series. He has
authored and edited more than forty books, including Health Care
and Christian Ethics (Cambridge University Press, 2007), Theology
in a Social Context: Sociological Theology, Vol. 1, Theology Shaped by
Society: Sociological Theology, Vol. 2, and Society Shaped by Theology:
Sociological Theology, Vol. 3 (2012–2 013), as well as A Textbook of
Christian Ethics (4th edition, 2014).
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new studies in christian ethics
General Editor
robin gill
Editorial Board
stephen r. l. clark, stanley hauerwas, robin w. lovin
Christian ethics has increasingly assumed a central place within academic theology.
At the same time, the growing power and ambiguity of modern science and the
rising dissatisfaction within the social sciences about claims to value neutrality
have prompted renewed interest in ethics within the secular academic world.
There is, therefore, a need for studies in Christian ethics which, as well as being
concerned with the relevance of Christian ethics to the present- day secular
debate, are well informed about parallel discussions in recent philosophy, science,
or social science. New Studies in Christian Ethics aims to provide books that do
this at the highest intellectual level and demonstrate that Christian ethics can
make a distinctive contribution to this debate – either in moral substance or in
terms of underlying moral justifications
Titles published in the series
1. Rights and Christian Ethics, Kieran Cronin
2. Biblical Interpretation and Christian Ethics, Ian McDonald
3. Power and Christian Ethics, James Mackey
4. Plurality and Christian Ethics, Ian S. Markham
5. Moral Action and Christian Ethics, Jean Porter
6. Responsibility and Christian Ethics, William Schweiker
7. Justice and Christian Ethics, E. Clinton Gardner
8. Feminism and Christian Ethics, Susan Parsons
9. Sex, Gender and Christian Ethics, Lisa Sowle Cahill
10. The Environment and Christian Ethics, Michael Northcott
11. Concepts of Person and Christian Ethics, Stanley Rudman
12. Priorities and Christian Ethics, Garth Hallett
13. Community, Liberalism and Christian Ethics, David Fergusson
(continued after the index)
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MORAL PASSION AND

CHRISTIAN ETHICS
ROBIN GILL
University of Kent
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www.cambridge.org
Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/ 9781107176829
10.1017/ 9781316817285
© Robin Gill 2017
This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception
and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements,
no reproduction of any part may take place without the written
permission of Cambridge University Press.
First published 2017
Printed in the United States of America by Sheridan Books, Inc.
A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library.
ISBN 978- 1- 107- 17682- 9 Hardback
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Contents

Acknowledgements page ix
Introduction 1
1 Moral Passion in New Studies in Christian Ethics 18
2 Is Moral Passion Germane Just to Theologians? 51
3 Christian Public Ethics 75
4 Faith as an Option 100
5 Moral Outrage 124
6 Collective Moral Passion within Faith Traditions 152
7 Moral Passion as Enemy- Love 182
A Final Word 206
Select Bibliography in Christian Ethics 209
Index 227
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